5 Things You Need to Know About Intrusive Thoughts

At some point, everyone has had an unexpected thought that whispers something like, “Did I switch the stove off after breakfast this morning?” You might easily dismiss a thought like this, or you might text a roommate or spouse, asking them to make sure that the stove is off if they are home.

For people without OCD, intrusive thoughts are like little stabs of panic that come out of nowhere and fade as fast as they appeared. They can even be helpful prompts, ensuring that they double-check important details that would otherwise be forgotten.

By contrast, people with OCD are tortured by intrusive thoughts, and the thoughts don’t lead to anything that could be considered helpful. They are more than little stabs of panic; they are relentless, repetitive, exhausting, and they often feel impossible to ignore.

Intrusive thoughts are a symptom of OCD that fuels obsessive behavior and results in compulsive behavior. The repeating anxious thought that you forgot to switch the stove off before you left home might result in you having to check that all appliances in the home are off multiple times before you feel safe enough to leave the house.

In this case, the intrusive thoughts are not helpful because they cause untold amounts of anxiety and have resulted in you developing a compulsive ritual.

Five Things to Know About Intrusive Thoughts

Sometimes people without OCD have disturbing intrusive thoughts, like having an urge to make a noise at a funeral, or wondering what it would feel like to jump off the precipice they are standing on. Thoughts of violence or unusual behavior like this are your brain’s way of preparing you for every outcome in the situation, no matter how unlikely.

Your brain is prompting you to be prepared should something unexpected happen. Even when the thought is dark or disturbing in nature, it is never compelling enough to be acted upon, and most people dismiss these intrusive thoughts with a laugh to themselves.

OCD intrusive thoughts, however, are relentless, and the people who experience them feel as if they cannot be dismissed except by actively responding to them.

These intrusive thoughts frequently center around topics like harm and violence to self or others, taboo or sexually provocative ideas, anxiety around disease and contamination, stress over asymmetry or imbalances, fear of offending God or others with sinful behavior, and intrusive thoughts around responsibility and duty.

When you have a thought playing on an endless loop in your mind, and when it is shocking or controversial in nature, you will be anxious, ashamed, and afraid of the potential consequences of even having that thought.

The more you understand about intrusive thoughts and OCD, the better you can help yourself and others. You are not a bad person for having any of the intrusive thoughts you have, and you are also not beyond help.

Here are five things you need to know about intrusive thoughts:

Sometimes intrusive thoughts sound like suggestions and prompts

Intrusive thoughts frequently sound like what–if scenarios, such as, “What if I don’t wash my hands before eating?” or “What if I punched my child in the head right now?” Sometimes, though, intrusive thoughts sound more like prompts or suggestions to do these things. An urge to refrain from washing your hands does not sound as serious as an urge to injure your child, but to the person with OCD, both thoughts feel equally intense and shameful.

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted

Every thought that comes into our heads feels as if it is a part of us. Our thoughts, particularly when they are urges or prompts, feel as if they come from our personal values or beliefs. This is not the case with intrusive thoughts.

Intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic, which means they do not come from your values or character. In fact, intrusive thoughts challenge and clash with your values and character. This is why they feel exhausting and disturbing to face. They are opposed to who you are as a person. It is like wrestling with an enemy inside your brain.

Intrusive thoughts are irrational

If you have OCD, you will naturally over-interpret every thought you have. If you try to rationalize every intrusive thought, you will come to some disturbing conclusions about yourself, but they are conclusions without any basis.

For example, if you have an intrusive thought urging you to curse God or to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you might conclude that you are sinful and that you must work to regain your purity. Just as intrusive thoughts do not reflect your character or values, they are also irrational most of the time.

On some level, you might know that your intrusive thoughts are irrational. For example, if you checked that the stove was off before leaving home, it is irrational to worry that it might still be on, somehow. This is what leads people to develop checking rituals.’

They check while counting the number of times they have checked, and this ritual becomes their first line of defense against the irrational, intrusive thoughts. They can at least tell themselves that they have checked it multiple times and that they can be sure.

Intrusive thoughts do not define you

It can be helpful to think of thoughts as visitors, and this is especially true for intrusive thoughts. Your thoughts do not always originate in your own brain. They are sometimes a product of your environment, of your mental state, or, in the case of OCD and intrusive thoughts, they are a product of extreme anxiety.

Intrusive thoughts are like a home invasion. They come from outside of you, they strong-arm their way into your mind while holding you hostage, and they assault your values. Intrusive thoughts can be as traumatizing as this home invasion analogy. Still, the important thing to remember is that these thoughts and disturbing prompts do not reflect your morals or values, and they do not define your character.

You are not helpless in dealing with intrusive thoughts

As debilitating and exhausting as it is to deal with OCD and intrusive thoughts, you are not beyond help. There are a few effective forms of therapy for OCD, and you can begin to deal with intrusive thoughts on your own, as they appear. The trick is not to try to eliminate these thoughts, but to change your relationship with them.

Firstly, name the thought as a product of OCD. When you can identify and name an intrusive thought for what it is, it begins to lose its ability to affect you so intensely. Intrusive thoughts are common, frequent, and distressing. When you begin to name them as a symptom of OCD, though, they become separated from your identity.

Secondly, stop doing the compulsions associated with the intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts make you anxious, and one of your most trusted ways of dealing with that anxiety is to perform some repetitive action. You might worry about contracting a disease after touching a trash can, for example, and your trusted way of dealing with that worry is to wash your hands multiple times until the panic subsides.

These rituals and repetitive actions tell your brain that the only effective way to deal with the anxiety and intrusive thoughts is to perform that certain action. This keeps you locked into the cycle of OCD, from intrusive thought to compulsive action. When you get therapy for OCD, you will begin facing and dealing with these compulsive behaviors and learning that it is safe to stop doing them.

Next Steps

OCD isn’t easy to deal with alone. If you don’t know where to find help, consider meeting with a counselor to discuss your experience. We host an online catalog of counselors where you might find someone suitable to meet with, or you could speak with our reception team. You don’t have to struggle alone anymore. Reach out today.